


Better the Devil You Know

by Ash_Cassidy97



Series: This is Your Heart [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Finn, BAMF Leia, BAMF Poe, BAMF Rey, Fail!Jedi, Jedi Mind Trick, Mental Coercion, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Snuggle time is a thing in this, i'm making that a thing, that last one is understood, this is not a redemption story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6309673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash_Cassidy97/pseuds/Ash_Cassidy97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe didn’t like Luke Skywalker. The man had an air about him and well-there was no point in continuing the thought. Finn had woken soon after Rey had arrived back, Jedi Master in tow. It would have been funny to watch a nineteen year old to drag around a man old enough to be her father with merely a look, but Finn needed him more than Rey.<br/>-----------------------------------------------------------------<br/>Mostly about how Poe deals with Luke Skywalker showing up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better the Devil You Know

Poe didn’t like Luke Skywalker. The man had an air about him and well-there was no point in continuing the thought. Finn had woken soon after Rey had arrived back, Jedi Master in tow. It would have been funny to watch a nineteen year old to drag around a man old enough to be her father with merely a look, but Finn needed him more than Rey.

 

Poe was young when he met the General. He’d just come off a skirmish and thought he was going to deal with another bureaucratic officer who didn’t care what the man in the sky actual thought. She sat and listened to him.

 

He watched her come out of terrible briefings, when cold-hearted people went over hundreds of deaths. She wouldn’t cry. She chased six-year olds and threw balls around with her own hands. He watched her comfort widows, husbands, partners, and find the strength of lead armies. She led armies because she wouldn’t forget or forgive those deaths, those loses, those lives, those people.

 

Loyalty is not won when it is fought after. It is won by consistent actions that hold no great significance to the person.

 

Leia became a General by merely doing what she considered to be right, no more, no less and it was a hell of a lot more than the next person.

 

Poe was never going to forgive Skywalker for letting her go through those years alone.

 

Sure Poe had given the man a talk because he was being stupid and Leia was ignoring him, but well, that was for Rey.

 

Finn was still scared that the General would send him away. The ex-stormtrooper was now known for simply not eating or ignoring the need to sleep in order to be useful. It would have been much easier to avoid Skywalker if his presence didn’t act like a balm to Finn’s constant worrying.

 

“He never looks at me for what I was or what I could be. He looks at me like you and Rey do, for what I am,” Finn explained.

 

And so Finn stayed glued to Poe and Rey’s sides. And Skywalker orbited around like a peaceful, high density looking sun. And Poe worried over Finn because that was better than worrying over himself. And both BB-8 and the General kept shooting him worried looks, or in BB-8’s case screeching loudly at him.

 

Poe wanted to tell them, _I feel better than ever. Having a kid rip through my mind, betraying the Resistance, and Skywalker keep showing up out of fucking nowhere have done wonders for my health. Oh and my friend is going to have the ability to see all of this soon. Yay._

 

He told Luke at one point, mentioning it roughly in passing.

 

He would have told the General. No, really he would have. He knew he was unsafe, knew that he could barely keep a calm mind in the same room as Skywalker, let alone a battlefield. But she would take im off flight patrols, and flying and Finn were the only things keeping him sane.

 

“How can you be up so early?” Poe whined at Finn as he was dragged through the canteen line.

 

“What is this?” Finn asked, pointing at the red goop.

 

“Ketchup. Some people put it in their eggs.” Finn made a face. Poe laughed.

 

“It’s good,” Skywalker cut in.

 

Poe jumped backwards, slamming into a pole. Finn reeled around, expecting a more serious threat than a Jedi, one of the good guys. The canteen froze but Poe waved it off. These people were living in wartime and their commander didn’t jump for nothing. Skywalker had a flash of humor in his eyes but it slid away at the look in Poe’s.

 

Skywalker had fought a war. He knew lonely pain. He knew loneliness.

 

“Damn, I will tie a damn bell around your neck,” Poe swore. Finn squeezed his hand. Poe rubbed his thumb over Finn’s skin, saying that he was okay. The canteen returned to normal. Skywalker was careful to keep a greater distance after that.

 

“What’s the brown stuff?” Finn asked, trying to be a distraction. He was the best distraction to Poe, but he was always more than that.

 

“It’s caf. What? You’re this perky without caffeine?” Finn stole Poe’s so he could take a sip. He did not give it back.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m pulling you from flying until you talk to somebody,” Leia told Poe later that night. She’d been lying in wait, sitting on his bed.

 

“I’m good. No, seriously; Master Luke just startled me.”

 

“Ah,” was all she said, waiting him out.

 

“It’s nothing.” She wait patiently. A minute ticked by.

 

“Tell her about the dreams,” BB-8 screeched out in a series of irritated bleeps.

 

Leia raised her eyebrows. And Poe felt like a fucking hypocrite. Finn had nightmares, and he’d always curl up against Poe’s side, and feel ashamed, no matter how many times Poe said that it was okay. All of his friends had nights when they didn’t sleep.

But Poe still shook his head and said nothing because Leia was Leia and his nightmare was her son. Her brother could be something better or worse.

 

“Your squadron is acting overly protective of you.” The perfect opener.

 

“They’ll lighten off,” Poe tried to reassure her.

 

“I don’t think they will,” Leia said lightly. And she was officially out of patience. She was no longer  a diplomat. And yet. “Good night, Poe.” These problems had a way of resolving themselves.

 

* * *

 

 

“Poe, Poe, Poe, it’s alright,” Finn murmured, rocking the pilot. “Shhhh, it’s alright. Come on. Easy.”

 

Poe shuddered and started to break again. Finn kept up his muttering, letting Poe shoulder into him. Finn hugged back.

 

It was only a few hours past nightfall and both men had been abed separately. Poe’s nightmares had been largely quiet up to this point but they would not remain so. Poe tried to quiet himself to no avail.

 

Rey came storming into the room. Luke was half a step behind her. They shared quarters and had both felt a disturbance in the Force. Rey skidded into the room but Luke took one look at Poe and stayed back. Poe took one look at Luke and promptly lost it.

 

He became speechless, silent, wrestling his way into a corner, trying to get away from Finn, and holding a laser knife. Finn let him go, but continued to crouch in front of him, trying to calm his friend down.

 

Rey fell back, not knowing what to do. She had nightmares but could sooth herself with the Force. Luke would hold her if they got bad enough and calm her back down. Meditation had proved useful over the past month.

 

Luke, turning out to have a brain, mentally rolled his sleeves up. He picked up a cup of water and flung the liquid into Poe’s face.

 

Poe spluttered but seemed to become more aware.

 

“Rey, go get a medical droid and the General,” Luke commanded softly. He’d been through one war. Jedi played a lot of roles then.

 

Rey left and Poe relaxed slightly, feeling horrible.

 

“Poe?” Finn asked. “Mind giving me that knife?” Poe flinched further away, curling his legs under himself.

 

“It’s alright, Finn,” Luke said after a moment. “Give him a moment.” Luke had slammed his shields down so he no longer sensed the Force, so Poe could no longer sense him. He fell fluently to his knees so he could see the others eye to eye.

 

“How’d you do that?” Poe asked. “You’re there one moment and gone the next.”

 

“I know,” Luke said. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t bother to let himself feel the guilt, it couldn’t have a place here.

 

“Luke?” Finn asked.

 

“It’s gonna get better, commander.”

 

Leia walked carefully in, like she was balancing on the top of an X-wing, with a medical droid at her side. Poe shuddered. Luke held up a hand, stopping his sister. She waited patiently, and gracefully sat down so she was on their level.

 

“Try to relax. Nobody’s here to hurt you.”

 

“I can’t-I can’t-.”

 

“Alright.” The medical droid handed Luke a ventilation mask. Leia hissed through her teeth but she caught on fast. Luke took a puff from the mask. The Jedi shook off the bout of sleepiness. “This is just going to help you sleep.”

 

“I’m fine,” Poe insisted.

 

“I know,” Luke said back firmly. “I’m not trying to hurt you or trick you. You need to sleep without nightmares.” Sleep deprivation, then PTSD.

 

Finn stared at his bunkmate. “Please?” he asked. “Please?”

 

“Finn’s gonna watch me,” Luke persuaded. “Leia’s gonna watch me. No funny business. You need to sleep.” Poe shook his head again. “Every breath you take, I’ll take one.”

 

“I won’t be able to wake up.”

 

“I can show you how to heal but you need to sleep first and trust me just this much.” Luke held up his pointer finger and thumb so that they nearly touched.

 

Luke slid the mask to Poe. He took a breath and slid it back. Luke took a breath and slid it back. Poe took another breath. It took five minutes for both men to fall asleep. Finn held Poe the entire time.

 

* * *

 

It took twenty four hours for both men to wake up. During that time, Finn consumed nine cups of caf and drove both Leia and Rey nearly insane. The medical staff had positioned both men so they lay in two separate beds next to each other. Leia had kept the staff from hooking wires up to the both of them. Neither one of them had stirred and Leia had been left to deal with everybody else, but she didn’t envy her brother when he woke up.

 

It took 24 hours.

 

Luke woke first and Rey kept an eye on him, following her Master’s own instructions, that he had given as he fell asleep. Finn glared at the Jedi. It was he who understood the most. He’d spent all of his short life on ships that carried the shadows of Kylo Ren’s mind.

 

Poe woke up within seconds after that.

 

Finn caught him. “It’s alright.” Rey hung back at the foot of the bed.

 

“Better?” Luke asked, sitting up like he hadn’t just been dead to the world.

 

“Thanks,” Poe said. His mind was sharper. He could register that Luke really wasn’t a threat, really. The healers stood just outside the room.

 

“Come on,” Luke said. “We both should eat after that.” He cast an eye over his Padawan. “And you need to sleep. He’ll be fine. Take Finn with you.” Luke tossed a shirt at Poe. “We have a meeting with my sister to attend to.”

 

Poe stood up, and followed, somewhat meek. BB-8 followed behind, cussing both of them out solidly. Leia was in her office because there was a war on, and that was the point in all of this. She looked up at their arrival. Both men looked like they’d had their hands in the cookie jar.

 

“At ease,” she muttered. She bumped her brother’s mind but it was still encased in iron walls.

 

“It’s just nightmares,” Poe started and Luke actually kicked him with his foot. “I haven’t been sleeping because I dream that I’m still on that ship,” he corrected himself, glaring at the Jedi.

 

“And you’re scared of Rey and I because we are Force-users,” Luke chipped in helpfully. Poe glared harder at the man.

 

“It wasn’t that bad.”

 

“Kylo Ren,” Leia stressed because she was done with this shit. “Hurt you. Just like the First Order broke Finn.”

 

“I’m-” Luke kicked him again, sensing another lie. “Can you _stop_ that?”

 

“I can help you learn how to shield your mind,” Luke said calmly. “If you can trust me enough.”

 

“You feel Dark,” Poe whispered. “Not Dark like he did but still not Light like Rey feels.”

 

“Rey doesn’t know how to block her own thoughts right now. That’s why she’s been setting you off.” Luke didn’t bother to address the comment about himself; he both knew what it meant and was dealing with it.

 

“Poe,” Leia said, holding up a hand to get them to stop their bickering. “You can fly as soon as Luke clears you.” Start your bribing, she thought to herself.

 

“Fine,” Poe barked out before storming out of there.

 

“How long do you think it will take?” Leia asked.

 

“You should know better than-”

 

“Vader never touched me like that. My son is truly lost.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Luke cracked out.

 

“I know. It’s not your fault. Some people are lost because they want to be. You can save those who won’t save themselves, Luke. Let it rest. How’s Rey?”

 

“I have been feeling more sympathetic towards my old Masters.” Luke sighed. “I trained with Vader for a time. I worry about Poe and Finn has the same wounds.”

 

“Don’t let them bleed silently.” Luke nodded and left.

 

* * *

 

Poe immediately tried to leave his honor guard. Luke grinned cheerfully and followed right along.

 

“You could lie to her.” Luke merely raised her eyebrows. “Yeeeaah. Not the best plan.” Luke snorted. “Are you going to say anything?”

 

“Why? So you can continue to lie?”

 

“I can’t, Master Jedi-”

 

“-Luke,” Luke cut in. And yeah no, he still couldn’t believe that he’d become the Old Ben of this tale.

 

“Luke, calling you by your first name is less helpful when I dream of your nephew ripping through my mind.”

 

“I don’t like ‘airs’.”

 

“So you have been in my head.”

 

“You’re Force sensitive and have been projecting. I’ve been getting the block of your thoughts, yes.”

 

“Rey?”

 

“She’s more sensitive but she hasn’t the training to make conscious sense of it all.  She hasn’t felt anything. I didn’t approach you because you were obviously afraid of me.” Luke sighed, scrubbing at his hair. “Not your fault.”

 

“I can’t control it.”

 

“Meditation and sleep will help. Fear is the path to the Dark side.”

 

Poe snorted. “Seriously?” Luke nodded. Poe tilted his head forward. “Seriously?” Luke nodded. “Oh come on, like you’ve never been scared.”

 

“I practice the release of emotion into the Force.” Poe rolled his eyes. “Nobody’s perfect.” Luke grinned slightly.

 

“Easy to do, yes?” Poe asked sarcastically.

 

“Meditation is when you focus on nothing. Your mind acts like a sea of thoughts and you are at peace.”

 

“Right.”

 

“See you tomorrow morning before dawn.”

 

“I’m going to hate you.”

 

“Hate is the path to the Dark side,” Luke whispered softly because Jedi are not drama queens at all.

* * *

 

Poe arrived on the training fields before dawn because of Finn. Finn is an annoying asshole who was a true friend but also a dick. Just-the horns were not necessary.

 

Finn, along with Rey, had become a student under the troll that is Leia.

 

“Good morning,” Luke greeted cheerfully, shouting. Poe grimaced. Rey smirked and they were off.

 

It was quickly proven that Poe was shit at being a Jedi.

 

He couldn’t meditate or move rocks. Mostly he sat in the back of the room because that was all Luke asked of him for today. Luke was chill about terrifying the shit out of Poe, not that either of them would either admit it.

 

The only good thing about the whole experience was that he was too frustrated at the Jedi to be scared of them in the end.

 

Rey left the training area to find Finn and work on the _Falcon._ It had been damaged in the cave in, but she thought it was salvageable.

 

“Feeling better?” Luke asked, casually walking in a circle around Poe.

 

“Not really.”

 

“Hmm. Why do you suppose that is?”

 

“Spending time with you isn’t going to _fix_ me.”

 

“I wouldn’t expect it to. What did you feel when Ben forced his way through your mind?”

 

“Fear,” Poe choked out. “Panic.” He sucked in a breath. “I never want to feel that way again and I don’t have Force abilities so if I run into you-him again, I’m so screwed.”

 

“Good.”

 

“What?”

 

“Fear is bad if you don’t acknowledge it. I can teach you to control your emotions. You may never be able to fight back the way that Rey can, that I can, but you can retain control over yourself.”

 

“How?”

 

Luke grinned. “Lots of meditation. If you do not wish to be surprised over an invasion again then you must know your battle defenses, know the insides of your mind the same way you know your X-Wing.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“And you must be able to do it while fighting.”

 

“And you just keep asking for more.”

 

Luke shrugged. “I want you to practice every day before this session, during, and then after.”

 

“For how long?” Poe growled out. “I have people to see, ships to test, and oh yeah, I still have a damn squadron riding my ass.”

 

Luke shrugged. “For as long as it takes.”

 

Poe did what Luke asked for a week and a half. His squadron muttered about the whole affair, but largely they were just glad that their friend was getting help. Finn was more careful, but yelled if anybody tried to be gentle to his friend. Rey slowly got used to keeping a carefully measured distance away from her friend, one of her few.

 

He got better at being Jedi, breathing peace into a room, the same way that Rey can unwire and rewire the console on the _Falcon_ in two minutes. It was harder to sit in a room with Luke and still be at peace. Finn made sure that Poe ate and actually slept at night, instead of sneaking out to the roof.

 

“Alright,” Luke said after Rey had left the training room. “Step up on the mat, for me?”

 

Poe stepped up. He was dressed in canvas pants and a loose shirt. Luke was dressed the same way.

 

“Alright. Don’t do what I say. Try to block me, yes?” Poe nodded shakily. “ **Stand on one foot.”**

 

Poe wavered. His left leg rose slowly. He stood on just his right foot. Poe shuddered, but he couldn’t fall. Luke hadn’t given him _permission_. Poe grit his teeth, and deliberately rolled forward, falling and rolling up to both of his feet.

 

“Good,” Luke rewarded. “If you can’t throw me off, you can definitely break the focus.” Poe panted. “Ready?” Poe nodded. “ **Fall on your face** .” Poe fell backwards, rolling smoothly to his feet once more. “ **Fall on your face** ,” Luke ordered in a harsh voice once more.

 

This time, Poe could feel the dagger of thought. Poe slammed back, forcing Luke out. Luke staggered back a step. Poe felt validated.

 

“Good,” Luke said firmly. “We’ll do more of this tomorrow. You should rest.”

 

It went on like that for a week and a half. Poe went every morning with shaking hands and a fluttering heart. Luke got used to having to teach somebody once more. Rey learned to keep a steady distance from Poe. Finn became a damn good safety blanket (FuckTheFirstOrder).

 

“Right,” Luke said cheerfully after a week of the meditation bullshit. “Now, I want you to hit me.”

 

“What?” Poe asked, because okay he’d seen Luke throw Rey around but it was Luke Skywalker.

 

“Hit me.” Poe was not a nice man. Poe slugged Luke in the face and danced out of the way. “Damn,” Luke mumbled, holding his face. “Thought you’d need more convincing.”

 

“Nope.” Poe danced on the toes of his feet. His hands were up. Finn may or may not have his own cure for nightmares.

 

A week of that and another week of fighting Luke while he tried to break Poe’s mind. And that’s crashcourse101 on fighting Sith. Finn liked to call it Sith1101. Rey pressed as close to Poe’s neck as she could and stayed there.

 

“But that doesn’t say if you’re fighting them.” Poe joked.

 

“It’s the Sith. It’s an understood concept.”

 

“I know.” Finn had mumbled something and pinned Poe up against the wall. And Rey was right there, careful and dangerous at the same time.

 

“Who do you lean on?” Poe asked Luke after another session. They had both showered and were heading to their respective quarters.

 

“Excuse me?” Except Poe had Rey’s boldness pinned to his collar. And he was dressed in Finn’s accepting nature. Poe was his own kindness though. Be certain of that.

 

Poe had been rough when he met Leia, and she had been broken. But she was kind underneath all of that. Not because she wasn’t a badass, not because she was scared. She was kind to spite her demons. Poe learned from her for years.

 

He didn’t like Luke, but he knew a man at the end of his rope, ready for a revolution when he met them. Finn picked him but he picked Finn back.

 

“Leia leans on you. Rey leans on you. Finn leans on you as much as he does anybody. The Resistance leans on Jedi Skywalker. Hell, I lean on you. So who do you lean on?”

 

“I-” And that’s how Poe stumped a motherfucking Jedi because he got mad skillz.

 

“Come on.” And Poe steered Luke without touching him back to Poe’s quarters.

 

“Poe?” Finn mumbled because it was still an early motherfucker of a day and sometimes, Finn liked to stop trolling Poe.

 

“Cuddles time,” Poe said firmly because he was a damn adult and if he wanted cuddles than he shall have cuddles. He slammed Luke down into the bed and rolled on top of him.

 

“Ow,” Luke muttered, trying to fend off the pilot, but Poe wouldn’t budge.

 

“My advice,” Finn said, trying not trying to contain his laughter. “Humor him.”

 

“Snuggle time,” Poe said firmly.

It took three months for Poe to come face to face with Kylo Ren. He’d been fighting the Sith the whole time and was prepared.

 

Rey got pinned down, and Fin was somewhere not here.

 

Poe grabbed Rey’s lightsaber.

 

“Think you can take me now?” Kylo taunted.

 

“Nope, but hey, have a laugh.”

 

He didn’t win the fight.

 

Rey woke up. Luke came running because Poe was a kindness. Finn was overhead with a ship because it was _Finn._ And that had to be good enough. It was more than enough.

 

Kylo wasn’t killed but he wasn’t saved on the battlefield by his ex-best friend. His best friend couldn’t kill him, but he couldn’t save him either. Poe was kind, he was kind and brave and honest, but he wasn’t a saint. And he sure as shit wasn’t a Jedi.

 

He is not the Han Solo of the story. That’s fine. It would be terrible if he was.

 

Rey hugged Poe, grabbed him as tightly as she knew how. She left nail marks in his new leather jacket. He kissed her on the lips. He did the same to Finn when he saw him again.

 

Rey let Poe pilot the _Falcon_ on the way back to D’Qar. She’d sliced her arm up and Finn tended to it. Chewie was good about it at least. Luke sat next to Rey, taking some of the pain away.

 

“You good?” Luke asked from the back.

 

“Yep,” Poe said boldly. “We’ll be landing in a couple hours. Should get some sleep.”

 

Luke threw a blanket over Rey and left her in Finn’s very capable hands. Luke liked Finn. If Luke got an opinion in the critical talk of fans, he would say that Finn was Han Solo, Rey was himself, and Poe was totally Leia.

 

“Are you okay?” Luke asked.

 

“Yep.” Poe was surprised but he was. His demon never wore the mask of a Sith. He was was a kid, playing dress up and hurting people. Took him a bit to get that into his head. “Are you?”

 

“Yeah.” Luke had fended off Kylo Ren. Rey had been at his left. Luke’s demon still wore the same mask of Darth Vader, because that was always going to be his first encounter with the Dark Side (his first-really-his first was his aunt and uncle’s bodies but that’s never written of, is it?).

 

“Easy.” Poe swiped and patted Luke’s arm. “Can’t save everybody.”

 

“I know,” Luke muttered but it was a damnation against himself. It was a kid’s prayer. Chewie stayed silent, watching over his humans, his family dook it out. “I know, but I can damn well try, can’t I?”

 

“Yeah, Luke. Expect you can. But you know? You got a sister waiting for you, and Rey’s not good enough for you to pull a Ben Kenobi on everybody, you hear?”

 

“Yeah. Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

It wasn’t easy. Luke and Poe. They had both lost Ben Organa, been at fault in their own eyes. They both stayed up late, wondering the whatifs, the misforgotten dreams, and the incorrectly filed guilt. They had an uneasy truce, built entirely on the fact that they would do anything for Leia and Rey.

  
Poe still regularly enforced snuggles time. Luke still forces Poe up in the mornings for their mental/physical sparring.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry. There needed to be more Luke and Poe in the world.
> 
> Jedi are trolls. This is an established fact. Just- Obi-Wan and Qui-gonn Jinn. I feel really bad about the things I do to Poe. Really.
> 
> I know there is a lot less powerful, random characterization in this, but there is more plot so there’s that.
> 
> I read the Martian and then all of the fanfiction. I blame half of it for the Luke/Poe/Finn thing. And some other star wars shit and my brain. I also blame Season 2 of Daredevil for the angst.


End file.
